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In 2013, the Legal Aid Society and the law firm Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler filed a federal lawsuit to require the city to make the specialized beds available to all young people seeking them. The city has argued that young people 18 and older can find shelter through the Department of Homeless Services, like other populations of homeless people. The lawsuit is pending.

Kim Forte, a supervising attorney for the Legal Aid Society, said that “our clients will continue to suffer” if the city and state did not expand shelter stays and create access to permanent housing. “We are happy that the city is committed to expanding the number of beds to begin to meet this important need,” Ms. Forte said.